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With Children’s Trust Funding Cut, UDC YouthFirst Program Misses Repayment Of $41K Unsecured Loan To Town Of Century
January 15, 2024
After the Escambia County Children’s Trust on denied to renew funding for the Urban Development Center’s (UDC) YouthFirst Century program, the UDC missed their final loan payment now says it needs more time to repay a $41,925 loan to the Town of Century .
Last year, Escambia Children’s Trust (ECT) awarded a contract to the Pensacola non-profit Urban Development Center (UDC) for “YouthFirst Century” to serve 750 youth ages 11-18 over a three-year period at a total cost of $1.2 million. In reality, they only reached 30 children in their targeted ages of 11-18. They requested to lower their target age group to just 5-years old, but that was also denied by ECT.
UDC has requested a $189,256.70 reimbursement for their first year of operation, despite reaching just 56 children, with less than 30 of those in the target age range. That equals $6,308 per targeted child in the 11-18 age group.
The Town of Century fronted an unsecured $61,925 loan to UDC to purchase items like computers and workbooks. The 500 workbooks at $52.75 per workbook were to be purchased from UDC for $26,375. UDC said they would reimburse the town after they received the ECT funding, but no specific deadline was established. At least $20,000 was recently repaid to the town, according to audio from a council meeting. However, a public records request to the town provided no concrete evidence of the payment.
The town loaned the money without any repayment schedue, but UDC CEO Jessica Griffen later proposed that the remaining $41,295 be repaid by December 31, 2023.
“The UDC was unable to meet its proposed repayment date and we are formally requesting an extension for repayment to, on or before March 31, 2004,” Griffen said in a January 10 letter to Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr., as she cited “the slow nature of our financial receivables”.
UDC’s reimbursement request from ECT included about $60,000 for personnel, $6,212 in travel, $2,692 for advertising, $37,000 for program supplies, $1,201 for field trips, $59,000 in “sub-grants to partners”, and $21,000 for professional services for 56 children, 29 of which are not in the program’s target group.
Pictured top and inset: Dr. Jessica A. Griffen, CEO of The Urban Development Center, addresses the Century Town Council and then-Mayor Ben Boutwell in early 2023. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Notes on the UDC budget above, per the application: JetFuel is a Century based technology entrepreneurial business operated by Calvin Cottrell. Tutor4You is a tutoring service with “Mr. Sanders”. Reality Check Counseling is Susan Dawson, a licensed mental health counselor. Favored Hearts is owned by Cordella Allen, a clinical nurse, that will provide CPR certifications.
Comments
20 Responses to “With Children’s Trust Funding Cut, UDC YouthFirst Program Misses Repayment Of $41K Unsecured Loan To Town Of Century”
Let’s get petition going to get it back on the ballot and vote tis out
So, 36K for an entrepreneurial venture. What’s the ROI? What did it do?
Here we go again with the Jet Fuel issue.
As explained in the notes below the ledger graphic.
JetFuel is a Century based technology entrepreneurial business operated by Calvin Cottrell.
@ Chris—Agree! What and why would $36 THOUSAND dollars be used for jet fuel?
This is homegrown GOB republican
county commission back scratching.
Century got played and is taking the expected L.
Of course, their leadership is non-existent and overmatched by simple protocols
It’s ridiculous that Escambia County and Gulf Breeze have leveraged bad leadership in Century into some kind of cash cow money wash.
This thing stinks to high heaven, no doubt about it.
Like Chicago or Baltimore?
What are you really saying, sir?
36K for jet fuel?
The Town of Century and The Children’s Trust—-birds of a feather. This is so representative of where the WELFARE STATE has taken America and it looks awful.
Next time I need a loan I’ll talk to TOC. No repayment time frame, probably no interest. What incompetence.
What boondoggle and theft of taxpayer dollars this is. And it could’ve been seen from a thousand miles away, but Century has its blinders on as usual. SMH
An unsecured loan with no repayment date…..shaking my head
Time for the citizens to Vote this Children’s Trust….Gone! More salaries, and administrative costs that what is being provided to the Children. PUT THIS ON THE BALLOT
Let ” UDC CEO Jessica Griffen ” write them a check from her outrageous salary!!!!!!
CRIMINALS
Can they confirm they bought the workbooks and the computers and that the computers actually work? Would seem to be malfeasance and/or incompetence not to require a time frame for the repayment. Seems like if N.E. Or some other news outlet really dug into this issue and the backgrounds of some of these players you’d find some interesting facts….some might even go back decades and find they skirted by from the start.
I don’t live in Century or Escambia County but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the Town of Century has major problems. Every month or so there seems to be another breakdown of local government. The tax payers always suffer the most. Will Century ever reverse their trend toward disaster? Only the voters know and hopefully they will find great leaders and put them in charge.
The Shadiness of a Chicago or Baltimore.
Century ‘leaders’ mishandling funds again.
How much longer, folks?
On Election Day somebody needs to be fired .